36 years after Roe v. Wade, demonstrators march on Obama's Washington

WASHINGTON — On the same grounds where many gathered just two days earlier to witness President Barack Obama's inauguration, thousands of people joined the annual March for Life on the National Mall to protest the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade ruling and to voice their opposition to the new president's policies on abortion.

Obama's support for abortion rights convinced 68-year-old Jack Maas of Arlington, Va., that he needed to come to the rally, which ended with a march to the Supreme Court.

Obama "throws a challenge down to anyone that cares about the sanctity of life. It's a slap across the face," Maas said.

The march has taken place on Jan. 22 every year since 1974 to commemorate the court's landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The event has a history of support from politicians who oppose abortion, including former Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Obama, as one of his initial acts as president, is expected to repeal the "global gag rule" that prevents federal money from going to international groups that counsel women on abortion or perform the procedure.

Standing in the midst of the crowd, clutching a pair of "We choose life" signs, Johnny Alencherry, 50, of Hagerstown, Md., said he was skeptical that abortion rights opponents would gain traction with the Obama administration.

"Unless he has a St. Paul-like conversion, we're looking at very bad meals in the years to come," Alencherry said, referring to Paul's conversion to Christianity.

Young people made up a large share of the crowd. Among them were 17-year old Reyes Acosta and 15-year-old Justin DeJesus, who came with the Bronx, N.Y.-based religious organization Life Teen.

"It puts us as the youth in a hard place, because we want change in every aspect, including our pro-life movement," Acosta said of Obama's campaign buzzwords of hope and change.

"I think he's sort of contradicting himself by saying he's a religious person and, at the same time, being for basically killing people," DeJesus said, referring to Obama's support for abortion rights.

Adam Becker, 23, a graduate of Steubenville, Ohio's Franciscan University, said the new president's priorities were skewed.

"The difference between paying $2 for a gallon of gas versus $4 is insignificant to me compared to the value of life," Becker said.

From a stage set up on the mall by March for Life, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) addressed the crowd. "We may have lost an election, but we have not lost the war," Brownback said. "We will continue to fight for life, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many marches it takes."

Though Obama was invited to speak to the rally, the president instead released a statement, saying he was committed to a woman's right to choose.

"While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make," he said.

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom," he said, "but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters."